“Today is an important day. Graduating with Chartered Status is not easy. It takes hard work and commitment to gain this accreditation. Working towards Chartered Status is challenging. Working towards Chartered Status amidst a pandemic is doubly so. You deserve to be celebrated for what you have achieved.
These past two years have placed our profession under immense pressure. That you all have succeeded despite the many obstacles is a testament to your commitment to teaching and learning. Please do not underestimate your achievements. You deserve to be celebrated.
There has been disruption, and now there are questions about where we go from here. What needs to change? How can we best support our students? How can we best support all of you that have shouldered a great deal? While anyone with a microphone or a newspaper column may pontificate about what should happen, it is the experts that should shape the future. There can be no question that you are the experts. Chartered Status holders are pioneers. You have engaged with research and evidence to develop high-quality teaching and leadership practice. Your insights and your expertise will be invaluable to colleagues across the country.
Engaging with evidence is so very important to teaching and learning. But as important is the knowledge that this evidence is not fixed. Evidence is like a river carving its way through the landscape. It can change shape. It can take on new directions over time. Holding Chartered Status is an ongoing commitment to exploring evidence. What works in 2022 may not necessarily work in 2025.
There needs to be a restless pursuit of what works. You have all learnt so much throughout your studies, but it is not the case that you now know everything that there is to know. Do not lose that curiosity, that drive to explore the changing shape of evidence. It is about nuance. What works for your situation may not work for the person sitting next to you. Like that river, you need to understand the land it flows through and the impact of different surroundings.
That is why Chartered Status is so invaluable. So sought after. You can set an example to your colleagues across the profession. Of how to work with research and evidence and appreciate nuance. Because it does make a difference. Our previous graduates have told us themselves how holding Chartered Status has helped them to become better in their role, to have greater confidence in working with evidence and have a positive impact on their students.
Chartered Status benefits you. It benefits your colleagues, and it benefits those you teach. I hope you will work with us to pass on this learning. So that others may benefit from your expertise. Chartered Status is the culmination of a great deal of hard work, but it is not the end of the journey. It is the beginning of the next stage. To work together in the spirit of collegiality to strengthen teaching and learning.
To the families and friends of our Chartered Status holders – thank you for your support. To all of our graduates – congratulations. Enjoy celebrating, and well done for all of your hard work.
Our profession is in good hands. ”